Process for treating tobacco



l 'atented Feb. 15 1927.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MASA'YOSI-II TAKEUCI-II, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO YOSHIAKI YASUDA, OF LOSANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

No Drawing.

My invention relates to a process of treating tobacco in which said tobacco may be subjected to treatment during any stage of its manufacture, from a growing plant up to and including the time when it is ready for shipment to the consumer, or indeed any time thereafter.

As is well known, smokers desire a more or less pronounced sweetish taste to the tobacco they use, and also that the smoke be mild and does not burn the tongue. It is therefore an object of my invention to treat tobacco in such a manner that When smoked said smoke will be mild, not burn the tongue, and have a'sweetish taste, the process involving steps in which these features may be regulated as desired to suit the taste of the individual.

The addition of sugar in its various forms, or saccharine to tobacco will have no effect on said tobacco, when burned, except toform a rank smoke by reason of the compounds breaking up under chemical action caused by the heat of the burning of said tobacco. Hence, to add some sweet material to the tobacco, either in solid or liquid form, will in no way produce a smoke flavored with a sweetish taste, or be mild and insure that the tongue of the smoker is not burned.

By the use of my invention, powdered bluestone, or copper sulphate, preferably, though not necessarily, as found in nature, is used to treat the-tobacco in the manner presently to be explained. Of course, it is to be distinctly understood that I do not desire to limit myself to the source from which said bluestone is obtained, and the manufactured variety may be used as well as that found native.

As above intimated, the taste of individuals vary, and therefore it is necessary to provide a mode of treatment of tobacco so that the taste of all may be provided for. To this end I use preferably powdered quicklime to dilute the effect of the blue stone or copper sulphate, the copper element, probably, though this is by no means certain, being the effective element of the compound and mixture, when the tobacco is burned to cause the smoke thereof to have a sweetish taste. At the present time I am unaware of the exact chemical reactions if any that take place in my novel process.

It may also be stated that I do not propose to be limited to quicklime as a diluent Application filed June 1,

1925. Serial No. 34,167.

in my novel form of process, since other equivalent compounds may be so used.

As above stated, the tobacco may be treated at various stages of its production. While growing, the leaf may be treated with my process in the following manner:

A mixture of substantially five pounds of powdered bluestone or copper sulphate, and about five pounds of powdered quicklime is prepared, and this is mixed with about fifty gallons of water. Of course, this mixture may be varied, especially when it is desired to vary the sweetish taste produced by the smoking of the tobacco, more or less bluestone or copper sulphate being used in proportion to the quicklime or other diluent,

or the amount of the latter may be varied.

The tobacco plant, after about two months of growth, is sprayed with the solution just described, and preferably twice a day during the life of said plant, and if rain causes said solution to be washed off, the treatments suggested may be increased.

If after the leaf has been cured, or at any stage thereafter, it is foundthat the smoke produced by the burning thereof is not sweet enough, or if it is found too sweet, the tobacco may again be treated with proper amounts of bluestone and quicklime, or other equivalent chemicals, either in solution or as a dry powder, as above explained. Under certain circumstances therefore the tobacco at any stage of its manufacture may be treated by a liquor composed of one pound of powder mixed in the ratio of sev-. enty per cent of bluestone or its equivalent to thirty per cent of lime or its equivalent, mixed with one gallon of water. The dry leaf may be so treated, or the cut leaf or other out forms of smoking tobacco.

In general, the proportions of bluestone and quicklime to be used, when the tobacco is to be treated, is preferably, though not necessarily, one thousand pounds of tobacco to one pound of the mixture of bluestone and quicklime of about seventy per cent of bluestone to thirty per cent of quicklime, though this may be varied to suit the taste, as above indicated.

So far as I am now aware, the action that takes place in my novel form of process consists in the flame causing the bluestone to unite with the nicotine in the smoke to render said smoke mild, and avoiding the burning of the tongue, and to flavor said smoke 25 sweetish taste with a sweetish taste, the quicklime merely serving as a diluent, there being a marked saving in nicotine, the active element of tobacco, since in diluting the same, said ele- 5 ment will be distributed through a greater portion of said tobacco, at the same time having the same efiect, but in milder form, on the smoker and hence it being possible to produce a better grade of tobacco at less expense.

While I have thus described my invention with great particularity, it will be clear that I do not desire to be limited to the exact manner in which the hereinbefore described process is carried out, and that I desire to be protected for all modifications thereof that fall within the. scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The process of treating tobacco which consists in intimately mixing the tobacco with copper sulphate and quicklime.

2. The process of treating tobacco so that when smoked it will be mild and have a Which consists in mixing with said tobacco a quantity of powdered bluestone diluted with powdered quicklime.

3. The process of treating tobacco so that when it is burned the smoke thereof will be mild and have a sw et flavor which consists in spraying the tobacco leaf, while growing, with a solution substantially of fifty gallons of water mixed with five pounds of powdered bluestone and five pounds of lime.

4. The process of treating tobacco so that when it is burned the smoke thereof will be mild and have a sweet flavor, which consists in mixing tobacco in any form in approximately the ratio of a thousand pounds of said tobacco to one pound of powdered bluestone and quieklime, the two latter in the ratio of seventy per cent of bluestone to thirty per cent of quickliine.

5. The process of treating tobacco which consists in mixing with said tobacco a predetermined quantity of powdered bluestone.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MASAYOSI-II TAKEUCHI. 

